I turned 31 in January and I can honestly say my 30's are my best years so far. In my 20's I turned a successful two-day college education into a successful career with companies like Apple. I also rode the dot com ride to the top...got to live all over the world like a geeky rock star..partied my ass off all over San Fran...and then rode it back down again.

Right before the dot bomb I decided that my definition of success (stock options and $$$) was not making me happy. I gave up my executive job and salary, moved to a small town in Virginia, married the woman of my dreams, and got two dogs and three cats. The decision basically put a bullet in my tech career, since no one in this area can afford my $110 per hour fee and no one needs my skills here.

But then again, I've always pursued my dreams...so I re-evaluated my life and decided what I wanted the next chapter to include. I started a design firm, found clients who could pay in nearby DC, and started a writing career. I've got a publisher and write my own column for O'Reilly. I'm so freakin happy and satisfied that it is like some weird euphoric Wonka drug trip.

Remember when you were younger and you thought people in their 30's were really old? I really think that getting older is the best part of being alive. The other great thing about getting older...is getting wiser. After a year of therapy (two years back) I really got in touch with who I was and what I really believed in. I've got a small amount of time on this blue ball...and I'm going to squeeze every bit of marrow from the bone.

Edited by author 07-11-2002 07:33 PM
I turned 30 last september. The weeks leading up to that date were absolutely horrific. I felt there were tons of things I still needed to do yet while still 'young'. Right before turning 30, I almost walked out on my job 3 times (i couldn't stand management's response to a sexual harrasement claim that was going on... they basically did nothing and asked the girl to 'not make waves'.. argh), my wife was layed off unexpectedly, and then just a couple of days before my birthday, Sept 11 happens. I honestly thought the rest of my life was going to suck big time

But, a work mate I like made a big to-do about my birthday (which I didn't like, but kinda do like.. you know the thing) by completely filling my cube with ballons (COMPLETELY...) which put me in a better mood. My wife also planned a big birthday bash that all my good friends came to. I think the party was good for everyone though, being around good friends, drinking lots and all that jazz after the other crappy stuff that happened to the world.

I then looked at turning 30 not as getting older, instead I was celebrating 30 years of making new friends and intensifing those relationships. I also realized that I've done more cool things and had more fun the older I got.

Wow, that sounds really sappy. I guess I am getting old. --Everything I said above is hogwash. 30 is freakin' old! What am I doing here past 25? Wasn't that supposed to be old? Crap, now I'm feeling all down again. Hey wait, that means I'm having mood swings like back in high school! Woo hoo, just like a kid again.

Edited by author 07-11-2002 01:47 PM
i'm 31 and i think i'm the opposite of you. i spent my 20's playing it safe and not taking any risks and i didn't enjoy myself very much. i met my fiance when i was 27 and he's slowly been teaching me the "what's the worst thing that could happen?" philosophy. i'm so much happier now than i've ever been. i think by the time you're 30 you know who you are and what you want. i find that i'm a little less optimistic, but also a little more philosophical about defeats. there's something to be said for experience. i've learned that "this too shall pass" so nothing really gets me down like it used to.

Bonnie, I'm not thirty yet, but I truly believe that the 30's are far better than the 20's, especially for females. Not everyone takes advantage of the opportunity to grow (some are far too obsessed with their slipping youth rather than their future) but those that do rock. Women in their 30's are less insecure, you get your shit together more and take less crap from others. For years I've believed that 33 is going to be a really good year for me. Being an adult and having the ability to make choices for yourself is far better than being a kid.

And being an adult doesn't mean you have to slip into complacency either. You can still have fun and be "youthful", mature and focussed at the same time.

I celebrated turning 30 by drinking all night with friends in New Haven and then driving to NYC so I could get to my job in the morning. I don't (necessarily) recommend that, but do something you'll remember with awe later on when you're too sedate to repeat the experience.

Oh, and the 30s are great -- and so are the 40s. Enjoy!

I celebrated my 30th birthday by completely indulging my immaturity & giving the finger to growing old. I threw a party for myself that had Scooby-Doo paper plates & hats & a Scooby-Doo cake. I told my friends to only give me toys & other "kid" presents--no books, no CDs, no videos. It was a blast.

And now that I'm in my 30s, I feel the same way you do--my 20s were good, I grew a lot, discovered new music & new art. But my 30s, so far, rock. I've learned more about myself in the past 2 years than I did during my entire 20s. I've gotten much more focused, too.

It also helped, as I turned 30, when a friend of mine who's 40 told me, "My 30s were the best decade of my life."

Got any advice for me as I turn 30?